Variable-speed driving mechanism for automobiles.



H. G. BEGUELIN. VARIABLE SPEED DRIVING MECHANISM FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 24, 1911. Patented July 23, 1912.

4 SHEETS-BHEET l witmeow m 9% h J H. G. BEGUELIN. VARIABLE SPEED DRIVING MECHANISM FOR AUTOMOBILES.

' Patented Ju1y23, 1912.

4 HEETS SHEET 2.

H. G. BEGUELIN.

VARIABLE SPEED DRIVING MECHANISM FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 24, 1911.

Patented July 23, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

H. G. BEGUELIN. I VARIABLE SPEED DRIVING MECHANISM FOR AUTOMOBILES. APPLICATION rum) JULY 24, 1911.

1,033,521. Patented July 23, 1912.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

. mum

COLUMBIA PLANOCIRAIH CO-.WASHINGTON. u. C

HENRY G. BEGUELIN, OF ST. LOUIS. MISSOURI.

VARIABLE-SPEED DRIVING MEOHANISIVI FOR AUTOMOBILES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 23,1912.

Application filed July 24, 1911. Serial No. 840,312.

To (1/! zr/zom 2'2 may concern Be it known that I, HENRY G. Bnot'nrnr. a citizen of the United States. residing at the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Variable-Speed Driving Mechanism for Automobiles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in 'ariable speed driv ing mechanism tor automobiles. and the objcct oi' the invention is to provide improved. novel. and simplified means for driving the operating shat't at ditlerent determined speeds. and to reversing the same.

In the drawings in which like characters of reference designate similar parts throughout the several views: Figure 1 is a. top plan view of the invention. parts being broken away and shown in sections. Fig. 2

a section taken on the line of Fig. 1. Fig. is a section taken on the line 3 1) t Fig. 1, Fig. 4- is a secticn taken on the line 1 1 oi" Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is an enlarged det ail view. in side elevation and in section of the clutch mechanism, Fig. (3 is a section taken on the line (3--(3 of Fig. Fig. '1' is an (1111 elevation on the line 7 ot Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a top plan view of a modified 't'orm ot' the invention, Fig. 9 is a section taken on the line 9 -9 of Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a section taken on the line 10-10 of Fig. 8, Fig. 11 is an enlarged detail view. showing the alternate or modified form of clutch mechanism in side elevation. parts heing broken a a v and shown in section. Fig. 12 is an end elevation on the line 172- 12 of Fig. 11. and Fig. 1 an end elevation on the line 13-1? of Fig. 11.

The drive shaft designated 1 in the drawings. is formed with a squared part 2 on which is slidingly mounted a clutch member 3 formed with an enlarged squared portion 4, and a clutch face 5. A second clutch member 6 is formed with a bore 7 which is of square cross-section and slidingl v receives the squared portion 4 of the clutch memher 3. Clutch member 6 has a clutch face 8 at its outer end. and has a squared part 9, at its rear end, on which square part 9. the bore 10, of square cross-section. of a third clutch member 11, is received, the clutch member 11. having a clutch face 12 at its outer end. A gear 13 is rigidly mounted on the clutch member 11, and is adapted to mesh with a gear 14, that is rotatably carried by a pair f arms 15. which latter are pivctallv attacied to shaft 16. the gear 1-1 at all times leshing with a gear 1?, which is rigidlv an noted on the shaft lt'. The gear 11 may e shifted into and out of engagement with the 1?) by any suitable means. The shatt 1h hears a miter-gear 19 on its opposite end whico meshes with the teeth 19 on cue side of a dish 20 which is heved to the operating shaft The dish 20 is formed n its opposite side with three annular rows f teeth :12. 3 and 524.. the inner row of teeth "i 1' being in .esh with a mitcr gcar 2.) rigicl mounted on a shaft 96. The inter mediate set of teeth 23 is in mesh with a miteugear 97 which is rigidlv mounted on a sleeve which telescopicallv receives shaft and the outer set of teeth is in mesh with a miter-gear 29 that is rigidl v attached to a second sleeve 30 that telescopicall recoves the sleeve 29. The shaft 1??) formed at its opposite end with a clutch face 31, while the sleeves PF; and 10. are likewise ti iialt(l with similar clutch taccs 1) and 33. rcr-pectivelv. as clearly depicted in Fig. 5 i i the drawings. The clut hes described are preterahlv oi the dental-clutch tvpc.

Clutch memher 11. is formed with a pcripheral groove 3-1 in which is loos-201v recei ed a ring-like member 33 that is rigidl ."F'lllt i)tl to a shifting rod 36. while the cluhh lJQRl WE' t. and the clutch member are termed with similar grooves 3? and 38, respectivclv. which loosely receive the ringl e members 3 and 1-0 that are rigidly attached to the hifting rods 11 and 42 re- :sl'?(1l' '6l The shitting rods 215', '11, and 47? are attached to coil springs the opposi e ends of which springs are attached to a support as at +1 wherebv the rods are normally held in the position depicted in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The outer free ends of the rods 36. 41 and 42, slide through open inps provided for the same in the support it. A hand lever is carried by the support 4.4 and has a compound pivotal movement with respect thereto, that is to say the lever is capable of an arc-like movement in a plane at right angles to support 44 and also in a plane parallel thereto, so that the lever may be moved to shitt the rods 36, 41 and 49 against the actions of their respective springs 43. The pivotal mounting for the lever con; sts of a plate 46 which is pivrted bv means of a stud 4 7 to the support 41. the plate having a pair ct spaced ears 48 to which the lower end of the lever is pivoted by means of a pin 49.

5O designates a locking plate which is secured to support 14 and is provided with three transverse slots 51, 52, and in which slots the lever 45 is adapted to engage, the plate further having a longitudinal slot 54 which communicates with each of the slots 51, 32 and 53, whereby the lever may be shifted longitudinally of the plate to the desired transverse slot after which the lever is given inward movement to enter such selected transverse slot. The lever is provided with a common form of spring pressed latch 55 which engages in notches 56, formed in the plate 50 (dotted lines, Fig. 1), the latch being moved to open position by depression of the slidable spring pressed operating rod 57 thereof which is mounted in a perforation provided therefor in the handle of the lever 15. An abutment 58 is carried by the lever and is for engagement with the free ends of the shifting rods in order to operate the latter.

In the modified fOll'll of the invention depicted in Figs. 8 to 13 inclusive, the gear 13 is formed with a hub which is slidingly received by the squared portion 2 of the shaft 1, the hub having an annular recess 60, in which is movably mounted a ringlike member 61 to which a rod 62 is connected. The rod 62 may be operated by any suitable means to shift or slide the gear 13 on the squared portion of shaft 1. To the front face of gear 13, two spaced annular rows of fingers 9 and are secured, the fingers all extending at right angles to the plane of rotation of the gear 13 and being rigidly atiixed to the gear. Fingers 69 have contracted extensions 71 at their outer ends, and right angular projections 72, at the inner ends of the extensions 71, the projections 72 extending inwardly toward the center of the gear. The inner row of fingers 70 have their outer or free ends formed with inwardly extending projections 73. Disks 63, (A, and (35 of gradually increasing diameter are rigidly mounted on the ends of the shaft 26, and sleeves 28 and 30 respectively, the disks each having a circular row of outwardly extending pins 66, 67 and 68, respectively, rigidly secured to their peripheries.

The operation of that form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 7 inclusive of the drawings is as follows: Movement is imparted to the drive shaft 1 by any suitable means such as a motor or the like, which causes rotation therewith of the clutch members 3, 6 and 11. In the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the drive shaft 1 does not cause rotation of either the shaft 26 or the sleeves 28 and 80, but to effect rotation of any one of the last named parts, the lever 45 is moved by first depressing the t i it a t spring pressed rod 37 thereof so as to unlock the latch from the notch 56 in which said latch engages, whereupon the lever is moved to enter a selected one of the slots 51, or of the plate tit). When the lever enters the notch 51 it engages with the shifting red 3t], moving the same outwardly with r spect to the support +11 against the action of its spring 13, thereby causing the ring-like member 35 to move the clutch member 11 so that the clutch face 12 of the latter engages with the clutch face 33 of the sleeve 30 thereby causing the gear 29 to rotate disk 20. and the latter the operating shaft 21. thereby driving the disk 20 at high speed. hen the lever if; engages in the slot 52 of plate 5-0 it shifts the rod 4 1 and thereby the clutch member 3 causing the clutch face 8 of the latter to engage the clutch face 32 of sleeve 2S, and the latter by reason of having the gear 2? rigidly atiixed thereto, drives the disk 20 at intermediate speed and therewith the operating shaft 21. hen the lever 45 is n'loved into the slot 53 of plate 520. it shifts the rod 42 and therewith the clutch member 3 so that the clutch face 5 of the latter engages the clutch face 31 of shaft 26, driving the shaft Qt; therewith and by reason of the gear 25 being rigidly affixed to the said shaft 26. the disk 20 and therewith the operating shaft 21 will be driven at low speed. it will he understood that when the lever 43 is moved into any one of the slots of plate 50 the latch 55 thereof engages in one of the notches 5G and locks the lever against move ment. To release the lever the rod I)? is depressed so as to disengage the latch 5-3 from the notches of the plate 30. and the lever is then moved rearwardly .-o as to enter the longitudinal slot 54, at which time the spring 43 of the rod from which the lever has just been disengaged contracts drawing the clutch member to which said rod is connected back to normal inoperative position as depicted in Fig. 1 of the drawings. 'hen the gear 18 is in neutral position shown in Fig. l of the drawings, it registers in the same plane with the gear 17 so that the gear 14 can be shifted, by any suitable n'ieans, into engagement with the gear 13, so that the shaft 16 will be rotated at low speed. and the latter will, through the intern'iediacy of the gear 18. drive the disk 90 and the operating shaft 21 rearwardly. Thus by merely shifting the gear 14 to engage the same with the gear 13 when the latter is in neutral position, the operating shaft 21 may have its direction of movement reversed.

In the modification illustrated in Figs. 8 to 13 of the drawings, the shifting rod 62 is operated by any suitable means, and when moved so that the fingers 70 of gear13 engage with the pins 66 of the shaft 26, the latter by reason of having the gear 25 rigidly affiXed thereto will drive the disk 20 and therewith the operating shaft 21 at low speed in a. forward direction. When the gear 13 is moved so that the projections 72 of the fingers 69 thereof engage with the pins 67 of the disk 64, the sleeve 28 will be driven at intermediate speed, and said sleeve, by virtue of having the gear 27 rigidly afiiXed thereto, will drive the disk 20 and therewith the operating shaft 21 forwardly at intermediate speed. \Vhen the gear 13 is given a still further movement the projections 72 of the fingers 69 thereof will be disengaged from the pins 67 of disk 64 and will occupy the space between the disks 64 and 65, while the extensions 71 of the fingers 69 will be brought into engagement with the pins 68 of the disk 65, and the latter by reason of being connected to sleeve 30 will drive the gear 29 connected thereto and therewith the disk 20, effecting high speed rotation of the operating shaft 21 in a forward direction. The reversing mechanism in this form of the invention is identical with that described in connection with the preferred form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 17 of the drawings.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a drive shaft, an operating shaft, a disk on the operating shaft, said disk having a plurality of spaced annular rows of teeth on one side thereof, a series of telescopically arranged rotating elements each having a gear rigid with one end thereof which gears mesh with said rows of teeth, means on the opposite end of each of said elements to drive the latter, and means on the drive shaft rotatable therewith and normally spaced from said first named means to selectively engage any one of said first named means to thereby rotate said operating shaft at difierent speeds.

2. In combination with a drive shaft, an operating shaft, a disk on the operating shaft, said disk having a plurality of spaced annular rows of teeth on one side thereof, a series of telescopically arranged rotating elements each having a gear rigid with one end thereof which gears mesh with said rows of teeth, means on the opposite end of each of said elements to drive the latter, and sliding means on the drive shaft rotatable therewith'to selectively engage any one of said first named means to thereby rotate said operating shaft at different speeds, said sliding means including a gear, and means between said gear and the disk which when in mesh with the gear reverses the direction of rotation of said disk.

3. In combination with a drive shaft, an operating shaft, a disk on the operating shaft, said disk having a plurality of spaced annular rows of teeth on one side thereof, a series of telescopically arranged rotating elements each having a gear rigid with one end thereof which gears mesh with said rows of teeth, means on the opposite end of each of said elements to drive the latter, and sliding means on the drive shaft rotatable therewith to selectively engage any one of said first-named means to thereby rotate said operating shaft at different speeds, said sliding means including a gear, and means between said gear and the disk which when in mesh with the gear reverses the direction of rotation of said disk, said last-named means including a shiftable gear, a gear in mesh with the shiftable gear, a shaft connected to the last-named gear, a gear on the end of the last-named shaft, and an annular rack on the opposite side of said disk in mesh with said last-named gear.

4. A gearing including a drive shaft, an operating shaft, a gear on the operating shaft, means to drive the gear of the operating shaft from the drive shaft, a gear rotatable with the drive shaft, a third shaft, a gear on the third shaft in mesh with the gear of the operating shaft, a second gear on the third shaft in alinement with the gear of the drive shaft, and a shiftable gear in mesh with said second gear of the third shaft and being adapted to mesh with said gear of the drive shaft.

5. Gearing including a drive shaft, an operating shaft, a gear on the operating shaft, means to drive the gear of the operating shaft from the drive shaft, a gear on the drive shaft, a third shaft, a gear on the third shaft in mesh with the gear of the operating shaft, a second gear on the third shaft in alinement with the gear of the drive shaft, a shiftable gear in mesh with said second gear of the third shaft and being adapted to mesh with said gear of the drive shaft, and arms connected at one end to said shiftable gear and at their opposite ends being pivotally connected to said third shaft, whereby the shiftable gear is in mesh with the second gear of the third shaft at all times.

6. In combination with an operating shaft, a member thereon having a series of spaced annular rows of teeth, a gear in mesh with each row of teeth, telescopic members rigidly carrying said gears at one end thereof, and each having a clutch face on the opposite end thereof, a drive shaft having an angular part, a series of telescopic clutch members mounted on said angular part of the drive shaft to rotate therewith, said clutch members being adapted to engage said clutch faces of the telescopic members, and means to selectively and independently actuate each of said clutch members.

7. In combination with an operating shaft, a member thereon having a series of spaced annular rows of teeth, a gear in mesh wit-h each row of teeth, telescopic members rigidly carrying said gears at one end thereof, and each having a clutch face on the opposite end thereof, a drive shaft having an angular part, a series of telescopic clutch members mounted on said angular part of the drive shaft to rotate therewith, said clutch members being adapted to engage said clutch faces of the telescopic members, and means to selectively and independently ac tuate each of said clutch members, said means including sliding spring held rods, and alever pivoted to move to selectively engage any one of said rods to move the same against the action of the spring thereof.

8. In combination With an operating shaft, and a drive shaft, means to drive the operating shaft from the drive shaft at. varying speeds including two opposed and normally spaced sets of telescopic clutch elements, one set being carried by each of said shafts, and means to selectively bring one of said clutch elements of one the sets into engagement With the corresponding clutch element of the other set.

9. The combination With an operating shaft, a series of telescopic rotatable element-s each having means on one end to drive the operating shaft at varying speeds, and having a clutch face on its opposite end and means to engage any selected one of said clutch faces and to rotate the element having said clutch face and thereby said operating shaft.

10. In combination With an operating shaft, a disk thereon, a series of annular rows of teeth on one side of said disk, a gear in mesh With each roW of teeth, a shaftcarrying one of said gears, a sleeve mounted over said shaft and carrying a second one of said gears, a second sleeve mount-ed over the first named sleeve and carrying a third one of said gears, clutching means on the opposite end of said second named shaft and on the opposite end of each of said sleeves, a drive shaft, and means rotatable With the drive shaft to engage a selected one of said clutching means.

11. In combination with an operating means, a series of means to drive said means Copies of this patent may be obtained for at different speeds, each having a clutch face at one end, and rotatable means normally spaced from said clutch faces for selective engagement With any one of the same to actuate said second mentioned means and thereby said operating means.

12. In combination With a drive shaft and an operating means, means to actuate the operating means from the drive shaft, a device connected to the operating means to rotate same and a shiftable connection between the drive shaft and said device to rotate the latter from the drive shaft and thereby reverse the direction of rotation of the operating means.

13. In combination With an operating shaft, a drive shaft, a series of means having connection With said operating shaft for rotating the latter, a series of means on the drive shaft to engage said first mentioned series of means, a spring actuated device connected to each of said second mentioned series of means for moving the same to engage With the corresponding means of the first mentioned series of means, and a device common to all of the spring actuated devices and movable to selectively engage any one of the same to cause the latter to move its means to operative position.

14. In combination With an operating shaft, a drive shaft, a series of means having connection With said operating shaft for rotating the latter, a series of means on the drive shaft to engage said first mentioned series of means, a spring actuated device connected to each of said second mentioned series of means for moving the same to engage With the corresponding means of the first mentioned series of means, and a pivoted lever common to all of the spring actuated devices and movable to selectively engage any one of the same to cause the latter to move its means to operative position.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of tWo Witnesses.

HENRY G. BEGUELIN.

Witnesses:

LOTTIE M. Fox, BERTHA VON BEHRENS.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, I). C. 

